Day of the Olympiad: January 31 2013
Why participate in the Linguistics Olympiad?
- Ever wanted to try deciphering an ancient script, decoding Swahili, or counting in Indonesion?
- Now you can do it! No prior knowledge of linguistics required, just some curiosity and basic problem-solving skills.
- Compete for a chance to go to the international competition and meet participants from all over the world.
- And it's free!
- Try out the problems on this page--we posted a link to solutions below (you can also download the three problems here!
What is NACLO?
If you're interested in language and enjoy problem-solving, come participate in the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad. NACLO is a fun and educational contest for students in grades 6-12 in which you will solve linguistics problems from a variety of languages (natural and artificial). No prior knowledge of linguistics or any particular language is required. All you need to bring is your curiosity and enthusiasm!
The first round of the contest will take place on Thursday, January 31, from 10am to 1pm at McGill University (Sign in starting 9.15am (Room to be announced). Students who perform well on the first round will be invited back for a second round, to take place on March 13. The winners of the invitational round will be eligible to represent North America at International Linguistics Olympiad. More information about NACLO can be found at at the general website for NACLO or download the 2013 handbook.
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Information and Training Session
Curious? Want to learn more and see some example problems?
Come to our information and training session to be held on January 24, 5-7pm (Linguistics Department. Room 002 at 1085 Dr. Penfield Avenue [map]). Pizza will be served. Please RSVP if you're interested at naclo.montreal [at] gmail.com.
Or try some practice problems here.
Or download the 2013 handbook!
Registration
We also accept on-site registration if you arrive earlier (at 9.30 or earlier) on the day of the contest).
Registration is free. You can register here.
On the day of Olympiad: January 31 2013
The competition will take place at McGill University
*** Important updat January 30: Room Change due to Flooding ***
The Olympiad will take place in the Linguistics Department: Room 117 at 1085 Dr. Penfield Avenue, Montreal, QC H3A1A7 [map])
9.15am-9.45am Registration and bagels.
10.00am-1pm Olympiad!
Who's organizing this?
Faculty and students at Linguistics of McGill University (main contact: Dr. Michael Wagner (chael [at] mcgill.ca)).
You can reach us at naclo.montreal [at] gmail.com.
Why is this competition only offered in English?
This will be the first time we organize this event in Québec, and it's still a pilot project. Right now, the materials for the Olympiad, which are developed by a team of linguists across North-America, are only available in English. It would be great to develop materials in French for the future, but at this point, it's English only. It'll be good practice for those who advance to the international stage, which is held in English as well.